


Short 29 - First Steps

by stgjr



Series: "The Power of a Name" Series 3 - "Time Lord Penitent" [4]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Multi-Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 05:17:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10915092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr
Summary: Our narrator takes his new Companions to Layom Station.





	Short 29 - First Steps

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on November 5th, 2014.

I decided to give Korra and Asami a good show as their first trip.  
  
I opened the TARDIS door and escorted them out onto grass of blue and violet hues. They looked around, gaping at the sight of blue and violet and cyan flora about them. "Another planet," Asami murmured. "I can't believe I'm on another world."  
  
"Not quite a planet," I said, smiling slightly. I pointed up.  
  
They looked up and gaped in astonishment.  
  
Above us, a giant dome showed a starlit sky. In the distance four metal structures grew out of the dome, stretching out into the distance before tapering off. Small dots moved about amongst those stars. In the distance, the earthy colors of a nebula and the brilliant blues and greens and yellows of a set of planetary rings were visible. "Where are we...?", Korra asked in a small voice.  
  
"Korra, Asami, welcome to Layom Station," I said happily. "Produced fifty years before this time by the brightest engineers available, it happens to be the most advanced medical station in this entire galaxy. If there's a disease, plague, or virus harming some race anywhere in the galactic arms, the treatment will be found here." I spread my arms. "This is the park for the entire station. It provides additional breathing gases for life support and gives the residents somewhere to feel at home, as it were."  
  
"It's bigger than Republic City," Asami gasped.  
  
"Just about," I said. "As space habitats go, its only competition is the Citadel."  
  
They remained awestruck as I walked us along to a synthacrete path being frequented by some of the residents. Their eyes widened at seeing a purple-skinned, silver-horned Drekara walk by. A canine-like P'kera ran past with her litter jumping and skipping behind her. "Family exercise," I said, admiring the sleek build of the P'kera and the dark earthy colors of the family's fur. A pair of Human medtechs came by.  
  
Korra and Asami had seen spirits so they weren't entirely unfamiliar with the idea of non-human life. But the only bona fide, non-spirit alien they'd met had been Nerys, and she was essentially Human on the outside. Now they were beholding the short and tall and lean and stout of all variations of sapientkind.  
  
Even the non-bipedal ones.  
  
We walked past a lake where there was a ripple in the surface. Slowly an oozing gelatinous mass moved out of it. It was cyan and blue in coloring and seeped across the surface and to the side of the lake. "It's a... what is it?" Korra looked at me. "Some kind of slime monster?"  
  
I shot her a look. "Oi, that's rather rude. She's a Gl'mulli. Well, 'she' is not entirely applicable as a pronoun, their species has a very loose affiliation with gender as Humans know it."  
  
The mass moved over discarded items on the shoreline of the lake. Slowly an item was pulled around the ooze to the top of its structure. It began to form a vaguely bipedal shape, although it looked more like a gumdrop on legs. Ripples appeared on its surface as a pair of devices moved over to face us. "Doctor," a mechanical, tinny voice said. "It is so good to see you."  
  
"The same, Doctor," I answered cheerily. "How are the spawnlings?"  
  
"Quite good, quite good! F'gul'tma has returned home to studies. The others are learning well." The mass walked up to me. "New friends?"  
  
"Ah, yes. These are my new Companions, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato. Korra, Asami, this is Doctor L'gul'pala, the lead Gl'mulli physician here on Layom, the galaxy's foremost microbiologist to boot. Gl'mullli are _astounding_ with microbiological sciences, I must add."  
  
"Um...." Korra raised a hand sheepishly. "Hello, Doctor Lug'pul'pala."  
  
"Hi," Asami added.  
  
Korra got the pronunciation wrong, but L'gul'pala laughed it off. "You poor Humans with those flapping taste-flesh things, you always get the sounds wrong," she trilled. "I am greatly honored to meet you all." L'gul'pala's viewing sensor turned to me. "Need more supplies? The new regeneratives are approved for distribution now."  
  
"You know how I hate abusing your generosity," I pleaded. "But I admit I am running low on some of my first aid treatments. I hate to intrude on your lunch, though."  
  
"Oh, not to worry, I am done. They are doing a marvelous job keeping the organic materials in the lakes. I have never had such good feeding on a space habitat before." There was trilling laughter from the Gl'mulli through her device. "So you have brought your young friends to show them Layom?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It is good to see you have found new companions since poor Katherine. Now, I'm afraid I'm due for a symposium lecture later, but I do hope you show your young friends around the Station. Humans fresh from their homeworlds always have the finest reactions to our humble home. Please give my best to Doctor Lakeland."  
  
  
  
  
We were almost to the aforementioned Doctor Lakeland's office when the girls finally regained their voices from all the awe of their new vista. "I never imagined something like that was alive," Asami said. "I mean, obviously spirits could become like that, but that wasn't a spirit."  
  
"Life is variety," I said. "The Gl'mulli are a fascinating race."  
  
"How do they see, though?", Korra asked. "Or talk?"  
  
"Well, without their translator devices, they see electromagnetic currents," I explained. "That includes electrical fields such as the ones most sentient species generate. Although it's not really seeing as you or I would say it. It's more like a sensing, a way of knowing an exact location without visual stimuli in our fashion. Good P'gul'pala and those like her have devices that translate visual stimuli as we know it into impulses their sensory systems can understand."  
  
"And hearing?"  
  
"They're gelatinous beings, Korra, they _feel_ sound," I pointed out.  
  
"That's _amazing_ ," Asami said. "Couldn't we make devices like that? To help blind people and deaf people?"  
  
"It's possible," I said. "Maybe not with the tools you have, but it's definitely possible for your world's future." I noticed her beaming look and smiled. "I know it's all a lot to take in, girls. But first steps are important. Layom Station has an astonishing array of sentient life that I find is a good way of pointing out what we're going to find out here."  
  
Asami nodded. "Yeah. It's certainly... I can't believe something this big can be built. It makes everything I'm doing back in Republic City look... look like the work of a child."  
  
I turned and gave her a gentle look. "No, Asami, it's not that." I put a hand on her arm. "What you're doing for your world lays the foundation for you to have something like this one day. After all, isn't that what your company is about? Future Industries, as in building the future?"  
  
"It is," she agreed. "But we have a long way to go."  
  
"Yes. And you're taking the first steps on that long path. It's a lot of responsibility. But I think you're up to it." I patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, let's get to Doctor Lakeland. As soon as the TARDIS first aid kits are stocked up, we have some touring to do."  
  
  
  
  
Layom Station's sights occupied us for the rest of the day. The variety of life and the technology of the station brought continued astonishment.  
  
When our tours ended and we returned to the park, the Station's "night" cycle was beginning. A Galactic Standard 26.4 hour day was observed by the authorities running Layom and lights were dimmed accordingly to assist the circadian rhythms of all species aboard. We took seats along a footbridge over the meandering creeks and ponds of the park. "This is amazing," Asami said, taking it all in. "I hope we can build things like this one day."  
  
"Oh, you will," I said. "Humanity is like that."  
  
"It seems everybody here likes you," Korra said to me. "I mean, they go out of their way to help you."  
  
"Oh, that's old business," I said. "During my first visit they had something of a problem with an out of control experiment that turned people into techno-organic zombies. I was able to put together a countermeasure with some creative input from a perky Goth friend of mine."  
  
Korra made a face. "Zombies again?"  
  
"Without bits falling off. Or the smell. Nanites controlled by a central computer puppeting people, very nasty. It's why you make sure how you're coding AIs." I wagged a finger at Asami. "Do remember that. Quality control, very big step. Forget that and its techno-organic zombies, gray goo scenarios, and the occasional exploding reactor. Those are always messy to clean up."  
  
"Haste makes waste," Asami agreed.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"You said there was another station like this. Will we be going to see it?", Korra asked.  
  
"Oh, sure," I answered. I clapped my hands on their shoulders. "Plenty of sights still to see, everyone. We haven't even started yet."  
  
And indeed we had not. There was something enjoyable, liberating, about just traveling the dimensions again. Not rushing around trying to "fix things", just... traveling. Seeing sights. Introducing Companions to wonders they had scarcely imagined.  
  
I hadn't quite realized how much I missed that until that moment, seeing their eyes sparkle as they looked up into the starlit sight above Layom Station. That sense of wonder and enchantment, the realization that there is so much out in the expanse of Creation that you can't even imagine...  
  
It was wonderful to be back to that.


End file.
